One of the problems prevailing in present day offshore activities resides in the transportation of materials and personnel to and from respective working sites or stations, irrespective of whether air transport is used, which today can only be achieved with helicopters, or whether sea-going vessels are used. This form of transportation is at present highly cost-intensive and is greatly encumbered with comprehensive technical and security problems, particularly in the case of working stations located in areas which experience poor weather conditions, such as in the North Sea or the Atlantic Ocean.